PSU's The Last of Us hands-on preview - set to be one of 2013's best PS3 games

Hi folks,

I was lucky enough to go hands-on with a new demo of The Last of Us this past week, which showcased two 'stages' - Lincoln and Pittsburgh. Both are fairly brief but offer a great example of the diversity of gameplay available in Naughty Dog's upcoming action-adventure, and I came away very impressed.

From our latest hands-on with Naughty Dog’s hotly anticipated The Last of Us, it is abundantly clear that the Uncharted developer has successfully created a gripping action-adventure that is wholly distinct from the treasure-hunting, baddie-capping antics of Nathan Drake. And thank god for that, because The Last of Us is, by a country mile, shaping up to be one of the most compelling games you’ll play this year, let alone on Sony’s aging PlayStation 3.

Our latest hands-on with the game was separated into two distinct chunks: Lincoln and Pittsburgh. Fortunately, it’s clear this wasn’t an arbitrary choice on Naughty Dog’s part, as each ‘level’ offers its own distinct flavours, giving us an enjoyable--albeit brief--look at the different gameplay experiences available in The Last of Us.

To put it succinctly, Lincoln is The Last of Us in full-on exploration mode, with Joel and Ellie starting off in surrounding woodland before skulking through a creepily abandoned town. This being my first hands-on with the game (PSU's own Kyle Prahl went hands-on with The Last of Us in January, which you can read about here), I was immediately struck by the meticulous attention to detail in the visuals and animation. Joel and Ellie remind you right away this is very much a Naughty Dog game; each character boasts some characteristic behaviors, and much like Nathan Drake, they don’t sit around stiffly and lifelessly. Ellie whistles quietly and wipes the blood off her combat knife. A few feet away, Joel adjusts his backpack and tends to his aching muscles. It’s subtle, sure, but it adds to the authenticity and believability of the pair, both superbly voiced and instantly likable.

Not entirely sure I want this on release day atm, if it's more open than Uncharted then I definitely will, but I'm not a big fan of corridor/linear games like Uncharted than only last 8ish hours. I like to explore in my games and go here and there not just go forwards.

Not entirely sure I want this on release day atm, if it's more open than Uncharted then I definitely will, but I'm not a big fan of corridor/linear games like Uncharted than only last 8ish hours. I like to explore in my games and go here and there not just go forwards.

It's already been confirmed that it's more open than Uncharted. There are different paths to take, etc. Items to loot, etc.

Well I was gonna get Skyrim Legendary Edition next month but for $60 I'd rather get TLOU which is a brand new game. If it is a bit more open like you say ie. an area with difference places to visit rather than a corridor like Uncharted, then I'll be satisfied.

Yeah, as I stated in the intro, this is nothing like Uncharted. The game is far more open and in Lincoln especially, you really had the opportunity to explore. In fact, it's quite crucial that you do, as you'll need the supplies and extra ammunition.

I don't know. The more videos I've seen the less convinced I've become it'll be worth the full-priced entry. When ND plays the game it looks smooth, beautiful, ambitious, etc. When people play demos of the game, it looks clunky, the enemies stand in place a lot of the times, there were cheap jump-scares and seemingly stupid AI, and the UI continues to look worse. The same was true of Uncharted 3: great when being watched, pretty lame when you tried something outside of what ND intended.

I'm still anticipating it, but I don't think I'm going to buy it first thing.

I don't know. The more videos I've seen the less convinced I've become it'll be worth the full-priced entry. When ND plays the game it looks smooth, beautiful, ambitious, etc. When people play demos of the game, it looks clunky, the enemies stand in place a lot of the times, there were cheap jump-scares and seemingly stupid AI, and the UI continues to look worse. The same was true of Uncharted 3: great when being watched, pretty lame when you tried something outside of what ND intended.

I'm still anticipating it, but I don't think I'm going to buy it first thing.

How can you play a game outside of what the developer intended? U mean exploiting bugs? Every game has it, you can't honestly tell me there's a game that's 100% perfect in that aspect. I personally didn't find a single bug in the game, but that's because I don't go looking for them.

Or if you mean doing stuff like trying to melee an enemy in an akward position, then that's a whole different story. When I played Uncharted, all 3 ones, the animation was insanely flowy, nothing jerky or weird looking at all.

But if weird animations turns you off, then I wonder how you can like any games at all. Uncharted series has like one of the best animations out there.

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